Blood at the Root


Fiction - Social Issues
298 Pages
Reviewed on 02/06/2022
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Ciahnan is committed to using his craft to help him engage the world in which he finds himself and those with whom he shares it.

A writer and a scholar, he holds Masters degrees from the University of Chicago and Stony Brook University, and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University at Buffalo.

Both his creative work and his scholarly research explore systemic inequality and the ways in which discourse on race and gender shape the horizons of individual and social life.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Blood at the Root by Ciahnan Darrell is a slice-of-life exploration of the racial divisiveness that shaped America's history and its impact on its citizens in current times. When the son of a billionaire mogul, Christopher Fairchild, executes a shocking performance art where he is videotaped naked, bruised, and tortured by two black men, the online circulation of the video has far-reaching consequences. The narrative focuses on people from all walks of life as they find themselves amid the extraordinary event where the young man tries to atone for the sins of his forefathers. While Christopher's parents seek therapy to process their son's act, the men beating him on the video are shot dead outside the courthouse. Meanwhile, life goes on for the inhabitants of the city.

Author Ciahnan Darrell pulls no punches in this raw and unflinching commentary about systematic racism, oppression, and class divide that permeates society even in the 21st century. Darrell's story perfectly demonstrates how, at first, acts of violence are received with shock and awe by the general public, but over time, they are soon forgotten amid the daily rigors of life until the next horrible event occurs. Blood at the Root emphasizes how past mistakes have lasting consequences on the present and the future. The cast of characters is quite large, and the narrative switches POVs almost every chapter. There is a sense of gritty realism to the narration that makes the story all the more powerful and compelling. If you're itching for something that mirrors real life, I highly recommend Blood at the Root.